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Letter from OMSS Chair

Fellow members,

As we enter the fall quarter, we invite you to activate your membership in The California Medical Association Organized Medical Staff Section (CMA-OMSS) by joining us at our annual meeting in Anaheim on Friday, October 20, 2017. The program is described in greater length on the following pages.

We are still seeking nominations to serve on the OMSS Executive Board to fill vacancies. Voting will take place at the Annual Assembly. We are also soliciting input on the identified major issues for CMA's House of Delegates, which follows the Annual Assembly (see "CMA to tackle three major issues at HOD" for more information on this year's major issues).

CMA continues to receive strong medical staff support for the Legal Defense Fund. On that note, I'd like to introduce our OMSS medical staffs to Yna Shimabukuro, Senior Director of Political Operations at CMA. Yna will be the OMSS contact for fundraising, to ensure CMA has funds to support legal defense when self-governance becomes an issue. Welcome to OMSS, Yna!

Texas physicians need your help!

Hurricane Harvey inflicted significant damage upon Houston, Texas. More than 17,000 people have sought refuge, and heavy rain threatens to continue throughout the week.

Many Texas physicians have reported losing their offices, medical records and equipment.

The Texas Medical Association (TMA) has launched a relief fund to protect and reestablish the public health infrastructure that serves those devastated by Harvey. In a show of solidarity, the California Medical Association (CMA) has donated $10,000 to the relief fund and encourages California physicians to contribute so we can help Houston physicians get back on their feet and serving their communities.

YOU can help support our physician colleagues in Texas by taking action now. Please consider donating to TMA's Physicians Benevolent Fund, through the CMA Foundation: www.thecmafoundation.org/harvey.

This meeting and educational conference is open to all physicians concerned about the role of strong self-governing medical staffs in improving patient care and safety. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about critical issues impacting medical staff governance and operations and network with representatives from medical staffs across the state. For more information on this year's topics, click here.

Participants can earn up to 5.75 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Registration is $150, but OMSS member medical staffs receive two free registrations as a member benefit. Register today for this important event at www.cmanet.org/events.

Pre-Assembly Reception
The CMA Organized Medical Staff Section will be hosting a reception on Thursday, October 19 (6:00 - 7:30 p.m.) at the Steakhouse 55 Bar located in the Disneyland Hotel for individuals who will be attending the 2017 OMSS Assembly the following day. Please join us to meet the OMSS Executive Board members and network with other medical staff leaders. RSVP to Yvonne Choong, Staff Coordinator, at ychoong@cmanet.org.

Call for OMSS Board nominations

The California Medical Association Organized Medical Staff Section (CMA-OMSS) is requesting nominations for elected officer positions on the CMA-OMSS Executive Board. CMA-OMSS has a vital role in protecting self-governance and quality care in our state. We need leaders to carry on the good work of OMSS.

There are currently vacancies for two delegates and two alternate delegates. For more information, including descriptions of CMA-OMSS officer roles and responsibilities, visit www.cmanet.org/omss.

Nominations must be received no later than 5:00 PM on Monday, September 11, 2017. The names of all qualified individuals who are duly nominated will appear on the ballot for election to the Board at the CMA-OMSS annual meeting on October 20 in Anaheim. Nominations may also be accepted from the floor.

For more information about nominations, please contact Yvonne Choong, CMA Vice President of Health Policy, at ychoong@cmanet.org or (916) 551-2884.

Medical staff self-governance is a vital part of a carefully crafted system designed to ensure the delivery of quality patient care in California hospitals. Join us for a one-hour webinar on Wednesday, September 13, 2017, at 12:15 p.m., for an overview of the rights and responsibilities of the self-governing medical staff under state and federal law, including credentialing, establishing clinical criteria and standards, organizing committees to monitor patient care, reviewing medical records, working with hospital administrators and governing bodies, and peer review, among other things.

Presenter: Long Do, CMA legal counsel and director of litigation, will also discuss the recent lawsuit against the Tulare Regional Medical Center for violating the self-governance rights of its medical staff and provide an update on where the case stands.

CMA to tackle three major issues at HOD

The 146th Annual Session of the California Medical Association (CMA) House of Delegates (HOD) will tackle three major issues when it convenes October 21-22, 2017, at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim.

The delegates will debate and establish broad policy on current major issues that have been determined to be the most important issues affecting members, the association and the practice of medicine. The major issues will also be discussed at the 2017 OMSS Annual Assembly on October 20.

Health Care Reform: While the future of federal health care reform remains unclear, CMA continues to work with federal and state lawmakers to ensure that the health care system works for physicians and patients. The CMA House of Delegates will discuss recommendations and regulations that will assist with health care reform at both the state and national levels.

Physician Workforce: Maintaining a physician workforce that ensures all patients have sufficient and timely access to quality medical care continues to be a challenge for California. The delegates will discuss barriers that impact the practice medicine in California and will analyze various strategies and policies that will promote solutions to address the physician workforce problem.

Mental Health: For decades, CMA policy has strongly supported adequate funding and provisions for high-quality mental health care. However, despite raised awareness, mental illness continues to go un-recognized and underfunded in California and many people with mental illnesses do not receive the help they need. The delegates will discuss significant factors affecting the mental health system including access and infrastructure, and will consider policies to support and improve the mental health system.

Registration is now open for 2017 IMQ Medical Staff Conference

Registration is now open for the 2017 Institute for Medical Quality (IMQ) Medical Staff Conference, set for October 26 at the Embassy Suites SFO (Gateway) Hotel in South San Francisco. This event will deliver the information, solutions and best practices that physicians need to successfully lead their medical staffs.

Join us for a day of learning, problem solving, fact finding and dialogue about ways to enhance the medical staff's effectiveness in meeting goals and improving quality of care and patient safety. This one day course will address the critical challenges facing medical staff and is designed for physicians, hospital leaders, medical staff directors, credentialing specialists and quality improvement professionals.

The conference will tackle some of the difficult decisions that face medical staffs, such as strengthening approaches to Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE) and Focused Professional Practice Evaluation (FPPE) when dealing with case review and setting up triggers that go from OPPE to FPPE. Participants also will learn how to integrate, evaluate and share meaningful data. Through examples and discussion, faculty will demonstrate how they can best position the medical staff to modernize quality improvement and peer review systems.

The conference also will provide an update on Joint Commission standards and discuss standards which are most often found noncompliant. Ashby Wolfe, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Region IX, will discuss CMS initiatives related to patient safety, quality reporting and electronic medical record usage.

AMA PRA Category 1 creditTM has been applied for and approval is pending. Early bird rates and California Medical Association member discounts are available.

Earn 12 CME at the Building Healthy Communities Summit, October 19-20 in Anaheim

The Network of Ethnic Physician Organization (NEPO) Building Healthy Communities Summit is taking place immediately before the California Medical Association (CMA) House of Delegates on October 19-20, at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. This year’s conference theme –“Striving for Health Equity in the Era of Change" –will focus on emerging health policy issues and solutions as we strive to achieve health equity and reduce health disparities.

The summit agenda will include a thought-provoking array of plenary sessions and workshops. Attendees will hear from nationally acclaimed thought leaders, learn about emerging health care policy issues and share best practices on how to reduce health disparities.

This annual symposium has drawn an increasing crowd of motivated physicians, interested in advancing their expertise in health policy as an adjunct to their practice of medicine. Featuring keynote addresses by Robert K. Ross, M.D., President and CEO of the California Endowment, and Senator Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), the NEPO Summit will provide you with opportunities to network with policy makers, health care advocates and thought leaders, alongside breakout sessions on topics as diverse as the impact of immigration laws on health care, physician mental health and addressing maternal morbidity and mortality.

Register by September 15 and take advantage of the early-bird rate of $199. Participants can earn up to 12 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM.

Is your hospital an OMSS member?

California Medical Association's Organized Medical Staff Section (OMSS) provides education, advocacy resources, and communication for medical staffs of hospitals, other health facilities and emerging delivery systems. Is your medical staff a member? (Below is a list of current member medical staffs as of September 7, 2017.)

Free subscription to The OMSS Advocateâa quarterly newsletter on events and issues that impact medical staffs.

To prevent any interruption in your OMSS membership benefits, update your contact information and submit your OMSS membership dues as soon as possible. If your medical staff is not already an OMSS member, you can join by completing and submitting the OMSS membership application available at www.cmanet.org/omss.

#CMAdocs: Helping CA communities thrive

California's doctors aren't just health care and medical experts. They're also community leaders, philanthropists, entrepreneurs and policymakers dedicated to ensuring that patients receive quality health care at an affordable cost. #CMAdocs showcases California physicians leading the charge to help their communities thrive. We're looking to highlight OMSS members! Share your story or celebrate a deserving colleague today at www.cmanet.org/cmadocs.

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